How to Foster Health Conflict

Research shows that leaders spend up to one-third of their time resolving conflicts.

What is conflict?
• Disagreement between two or more people.

What is conflict resolution?
• Resolution does not mean win or lose. It means successful reconciliation. Life is about success, not perfection.

What is healthy conflict?
• Disagreement that results in better decision-making and ideal outcomes.

What gets in the way of healthy conflict?
• People ‘play nice’ and tend to avoid or settle too quickly to preserve relationships instead of disagreeing and doing what’s best for the business
• People focus on judgement and win or lose versus the language of agreement

What is your role as a leader in conflict management?
• To foster healthy conflict.

How can you foster healthy conflict?
• Be an exemplar for adjusting your conflict resolution behaviour during conflict situations.

What are the five types of conflict resolution approaches? (Thomas-Kilman)
• Competing: You want to win. You satisfy your own concerns at the expense of others.
• Accomodating: You let the other person win. You sacrifice your own concerns in favour of the other person.
• Avoiding: You don’t engage in the conflict.
• Collaborating: You look for win-win. You try to find a position that would fully satisfy your own and the other’s concerns.
• Compromising: There is no clear winner or loser. There are gains and losses for each person. Strive for success not perfection.

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